2009 Mercury Milan Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jan 2, 2025 · 226 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Milan years
Fewer complaints than other years 4th of 6 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 226 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Mercury Milan. That ranks 4th out of 6 Milan model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is service brakes (99 complaints, 44%), typically at around 95,000 miles. Complaints mention 12 crashes, 1 fire, 5 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations involving it.

Mercury Milan
2006-2007 Mercury Milan photographed in USA.. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2009 Mercury Milan problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Service Brakes99 · ~95,000 mi
Air Bags85 · ~80,000 mi
Service Brakes, Hydraulic17 · ~91,101 mi
Vehicle Speed Control10 · ~61,500 mi
Structure6 · ~39,918 mi
Unknown or Other6 · ~55,650 mi
Engine5 · ~103,205 mi
Power Train4 · ~78,705 mi
Electrical System3 · ~19,487 mi
Equipment2
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Service Brakes problems9944%95,000“pedal went” (16%)$1,600
Air Bags problems8538%80,000“takata air bags” (29%)—
Service Brakes, Hydraulic178%91,101——
Vehicle Speed Control104%61,500——
Structure63%39,918——
Unknown or Other63%55,650——
Engine52%103,205——
Power Train42%78,705——
Electrical System31%19,487——
Equipment21%———
Latches/locks/linkages21%40,500——
Service Brakes, Air21%———
Visibility21%500——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)10%———
Engine and Engine Cooling10%71,000——
Forward Collision Avoidance10%———
Fuel/propulsion System10%42,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline10%71,000——
Suspension10%———
Tires10%———
Wheels10%57,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2017, with 80 complaints
2009: 2200922010: 222011: 3201132012: 552013: 3201332014: 10102015: 4201542016: 17172017: 802017802018: 45452019: 192019192020: 17172021: 142021142022: 222023: 1202312024: 112025: 120251

n = 226 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2009 Mercury Milan recalls (6)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleMar 10, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V158000 · 2,602,668 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module; air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleFeb 16, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V081000 · 1,067 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.

Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip:control unit/moduleDec 18, 2019 · NHTSA campaign 19V904000 · 600,166 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006-2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles. The valves within the ABS Hydraulic Control Units (HCU) may react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion preventative additives. This reaction may cause the valves to not close properly.

Risk: If the valves do not properly close, additional brake pedal travel may be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will flush the brake system with DOT 4 fluid and install a new brake fluid reservoir cap. In addition, the HCU will be tested to detect a possible stuck valve condition, replacing the HCU as necessary. All services will be performed free of charge. The recall began April 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S54.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveJan 11, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V046000 · 327,796 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2009 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveJan 10, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V024000 · 654,695 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveMay 31, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V384000 · 1,892,343 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Extended Braking Distance (EA18002) — opened Apr 18, 2018, closed Jan 15, 2021, led to recall 19V904000.
  • Extended Braking Distance (PE16017) — opened Dec 20, 2016, closed May 4, 2018.
  • Floor mat interference with accelerator (EA12009) — opened Dec 12, 2012, closed Jun 12, 2014, led to recall 14E028000.
  • Accel Pedal Interference - Acc Floormat (PE10019) — opened May 28, 2010, closed Jan 11, 2013.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

The contact owns a 2009 Mercury Milan. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact engaged the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle…

Service Brakes, Hydraulic · received Jan 2, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11633632

Check engine light airbag light brake light on my car they turned them off and they turned on right after

Engine · received Jun 20, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11595626

I received a letter in july of 2021 about the abs control unit problem my vehicle has. At the moment that control module is non-functional. To date ford has not produced or made available any of the parts needed for this repair and will not even acknowledge the vehicle when i called them. I would…

Service Brakes · received Mar 9, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11511028

Brake pedal going to floor extending stopping distance. Early in 2022 I took it in for recall S1954. HCU passed test and dealer replaced DOT3 brake fluid with DOt4. 5/24/2022 Brake pedal started going to floor again. Dealer performed self test of hcu and electronic bleed hcu and said pedal was…

Service Brakes · received Jun 4, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11467509

The problem I am having is with the cars braking system. I have extended brake travel required to stop the vehicle for which I have been issued two recalls. Because of the extended brake travel, I was unable to stop in time and had a front end collision with minor damage, which was not reported…

Service Brakes · received Feb 4, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11450381

Other Mercury Milan years

← 2008 Milan · 2010 Milan →

YearComplaintsRecalls
2011 Milan1917
2010 Milan1,00311
20092266
2008 Milan4514
2007 Milan4344
2006 Milan2144

See all Mercury Milan problems by year, every Mercury model, or the VIN decoder.

Similar Mercury models

Embed this 2009 Mercury Milan badge on your site

Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2009 Mercury Milan?

Owners most often report service brakes, air bags, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, service brakes, accounts for 99 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2009 Mercury Milan?

Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2009 Mercury Milan a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Milan model years, the 2009 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.